Compare the2026 Hyundai PalisadeVS 2025 Kia Telluride

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Palisade have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia Telluride doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Palisade are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Kia Telluride doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

The Palisade has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Telluride doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Hyundai Palisade achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Kia Telluride has not been tested.

The Hyundai Palisade’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Kia Telluride does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

Both the Palisade and the Telluride have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Hyundai Palisade is safer than the Telluride:

The Palisade’s corrosion warranty is 2 years and unlimited miles longer than the Telluride’s (7/unlimited vs. 5/100,000).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 8 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked 8th.

The Palisade’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 38 more horsepower (329 vs. 291) and 77 lbs.-ft. more torque (339 vs. 262) than the Telluride’s 3.8 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Hyundai Palisade Hybrid is faster than the Kia Telluride:

On the EPA test cycle the Palisade 3.5 DOHC V6 HTRAC gets better fuel mileage than the Telluride 4x4 (18 city/24 hwy vs. 18 city/23 hwy).

Regenerative brakes improve the Palisade Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Telluride doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Palisade’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Telluride doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Hyundai Palisade higher (6 out of 10) than the Kia Telluride (5). This means the Palisade produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Telluride every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the Palisade’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Telluride:

The Palisade’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Telluride are solid, not vented.

The Palisade stops shorter than the Telluride:

For better traction, the Palisade Calligraphy’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Telluride (265/45R21 vs. 245/60R18).

The Palisade Calligraphy’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Telluride S/EX/SX’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Palisade Calligraphy has standard 21-inch wheels. The Telluride’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

The Palisade’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Telluride doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Palisade’s wheelbase is 2.7 inches longer than on the Telluride (116.9 inches vs. 114.2 inches).

The Palisade Calligraphy HTRAC handles at .83 G’s, while the Telluride SX Prestige 4x4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Palisade Calligraphy HTRAC executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Telluride SX 4x4 (27.2 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

The front grille of the Palisade uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Telluride doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Palisade Calligraphy HTRAC is quieter than the Telluride SX 4x4:

The Palisade has 6.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Telluride (161.9 vs. 155).

The Palisade has .6 inches more front headroom, 2.8 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more rear headroom, .6 inches more rear legroom, .7 inches more third row legroom, 1.6 inches more third row hip room and .3 inches more third row shoulder room than the Telluride.

The Palisade’s cargo area provides more volume than the Telluride.

The Palisade’s cargo area is larger than the Telluride’s in almost every dimension:

The Palisade has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Telluride doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Both the Palisade and the Telluride have standard second row automatic folding seats. The Palisade Limited/Calligraphy’s third row seats also fold up or down at the press of a button. The Telluride doesn’t offer automatic folding third row seats.

On a hot day the Palisade’s driver can lower the front windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Telluride can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Palisade SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Telluride offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Palisade SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid has standard heated front seats and second and third row heated seats also available, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Kia doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Telluride.

The Palisade Calligraphy has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Telluride.

The Palisade Calligraphy’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Telluride doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Palisade as the 2026 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Telluride was last chosen in 2020.